The Car that Looked like a Tomato
by Emy Bellerose
Summary: The two Italian sisters are reunited after being separated for 15 years. As Lovina adjusts to her new surroundings, she has the 'misfortune' of running into Antonio. Luckily, she has her tomato car and street races to distract her from tall, dark, and handsome. Includes fem!Romano, evading the police, and other fun things. Spamano!
1. Chapter 1

Emy Note:

Hi, everyone. I haven't had much luck finishing a story, so I waited until I finished writing this one before posting it. There are a couple of scenes that might be more T+, but I didn't think required a M rating. It's only making out, but nothing too graphic. Truthfully, it isn't really graphic at all. Anyways, I don't own Hetalia obviously. Although, I did cosplay as fem!Canada for SLCC.

* * *

Feli:

I wandered around the University hallway looking at the student art displays. My picture was about three down labeled Draw a Circle, That's the Earth by Feliciana Vargas. Checking my phone for the time, I realized my boyfriend of two years would be getting out of class in about five minutes. _I really should hurry_ , I thought skipping to the engineering building.

Even with the mob of students exiting the building, it was easy to find Ludwig. His tall stature coupled with his light blonde hair slicked back made him stick out. I bounced up and down excitedly. My wayward curl bounced along with me.

"Luddy!" I called loudly waving my arms in the air to get his attention. The crisp fall air caused small puffs of white to appear when I spoke. "Luddy! Guess what? Guess what?"

"Vat, Feli?" Ludwig replied. I learned long ago that he refused to play the guessing game with me. _Oh well_ , I thought cheerfully.

"Mia sorella is moving here!"

"Sister? I didn't know you had a hermanita." A Spanish man interrupted what Ludwig was about to say and threw his arm over my shoulder. I noticed Luddy glaring at him, but the newcomer didn't seem phased.

"Hiya, Big Brother Antonio, Gilbert, Francis," I greeted pulling away from Antonio and waving at my other two friends. I wrapped my arms around Ludwig. Looking up at Antonio, I corrected his assumption, "I'm her sorellina. She's two years older than me, so that'd make her twenty-two, I think. She might be twenty-three now. I haven't seen her or talked to her since we moved here, so I don't really remember her much." My face fell slightly as I realized I knew next to nothing about my sister.

"You don't remember her?" Gilbert questioned surprised. "Hey, Kleiner Bruder," Gilbert greeted Ludwig. He tried to throw his arm around him, but found the angle difficult due to the height difference. I giggled at Gilbert's attempt. Most people found it hard to believe that Gilbert was the older of the two. Not only was he shorter, Gilbert was also slighter.

"She's been in Italy her whole life. When Mamma and I moved here to be with Nonno, mia sorella stayed with a family friend." I explained sadly.

Oblivious to my depressed mood, Antonio curiously asked, "Feli, didn't you move here when you were five? Why would your mama let a seven year old stay in Italy?"

"Well, uh, um," I mumbled and stuttered trying to remember what Mamma had said. Finally, I responded, "Lovina and Mamma fought a lot. Mamma thought she'd be happier if she stayed."

There was a short awkward silence surrounding our group. It was a relief when Antonio suddenly yelled, "Tomato!" I laughed as I watched him run towards the university's cafeteria searching for his favorite snack. Big Brother Antonio always made me laugh.

Once my bout of giggles stopped, Ludwig pushed Gilbert's arm off of him and turned to look at me, "Ven is she coming?"

I beamed at Ludwig remembering why I was so excited earlier, "She gets in tonight. I'm so excited! Ve~!"

"Ohonhonhon, a new little Italien friend," Francis laughed "I can't wait to meet her. Anyone related to you must be une jolie femme." He kissed my hand before following after his Spanish friend.

"The awesome me vill see you later, West!" Gilbert waved at us and went after the other two-thirds of his trio.

As I giggled at their antics, Luddy and I started following at a slower pace. The short walk was filled by my incessant talking. I wanted to tell Ludwig all about my sister, "Most of her stuff got here days ago, but her car just got here yesterday. She imported it from Italy."

For the most part, Ludwig just let me chatter to my heart's content, but I knew mentioning her car would catch his attention, "Vat kind of kar?" I giggled as his accent got stronger. It meant he was really curious.

I paused for a second trying to remember. I probably should have written it down. My finger bounced against my mouth in an attempt to jog my memory. "It's a Fiat 500 something, something starting with an a."

"Abarth?" Ludwig suggested, surprisingly without much of an accent. He's so funny about anything with wheels.

"That sounds about right," I nodded, "Nonno said it's a good car, fast or something like that. I think it's cute. It's all red. But it's got that stick shifty thingy, so I can't drive it."

"It's a manual transmission," Ludwig corrected automatically. He spends his free time working on cars. They're his passion and he's really good at it. Although if you ask me, he's good at anything.

By this time, we reached the door to the cafeteria. Ludwig pulled it open and held it so that I could walk inside. He's so nice! With him holding the door, I could continue using my hands to motion along with my words. "I hope they have pasta today. Usually, they only have pasta on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I know its Friday, but I'm really craving it. You know how I usually pack my lunch on Fridays, but I was so excited about her coming that I got distracted. I was going to make orecchiette with meatballs or maybe a seafood linguini." I trailed off daydreaming about my favorite pasta dishes.

"If they don't have it, we can get you some for dinner." Ludwig responded.

"You're so nice, Luddy!" I exclaimed and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. "I just love you!" Ludwig just blushed in response.

* * *

Lovina:

I had only been in the United States for an hour, and I was already sick of it. My plane landed at precisely 5:05, my designated arrival time. The extremely rare on-time arrival had almost made me smile. After getting off the plane, I hurried into the lobby hoping to find whoever was picking me up. My good mood was short lived when I realized no one was there.

I waited in those stupid, uncomfortable airport chairs hoping to see Nonno or someone. As the minutes ticked past, it seemed like the chances of that happening was less and less.

Mumbling angrily to myself, I decided to try and find a pay phone. My cellphone died on the way over, and my charger had been sent ahead with my other things.

While searching, I passed a mirror and flinched at my reflection. My usually perfectly arranged auburn hair looked like a rat's nest from the 13 hour flight from Rome. For once, the unruly Vargas curl that stuck out from the middle of my wavy hair actually blended in. Using my fingers, I began brushing my shoulder length hair in an attempt get it to calm down.

"Lovina!" A voiced yelled suddenly. My fingers had just found a knot and when I jumped in surprise, I accidently yanked and pulled my hair roughly.

"Ow, great." I mumbled sarcastically rubbing the side of my head.

"Lovina! Sorella!" The voice called again, loudly.

I turned to look at the girl calling me sister. The girl rapidly approaching me hadn't changed at all since she was five. Feliciana's brown hair was pulled into low pigtails and her chocolate eyes were wide with excitement. To me, she barely even looked taller than her five year old counterpart.

As the figure rushed towards me, my happiness from someone finally showing up quickly turned into fear. Feliciana was running full speed towards me, and she showed no sign of stopping, let alone slowing down. _Dear God!_ I thought terrified.

Letting out a loud embarrassing screech, I side stepped her, and Feliciana ran into the wall.

"That wasn't very nice, Sorella." Feliciana whined rubbing her nose and sitting on the floor.

"Well, you shouldn't have charged at me like that, Idiota." I responded with little remorse. _That's what you get for trying to run me over!_ My tone quickly became angry, "What in the hell took you so long? My plane landed over an hour ago."

"Mi dispiace, Sorella. Mamma was supposed to come get you, but I guess she forgot." Feliciana stood up. _Oh, Mamma was going to get me. That explains a lot,_ I thought to myself. "I missed you!" She exclaimed glomping onto me.

"Could've fooled me," I replied trying to pull her off of me. I thought back to last time I had even talked to Feliciana: 15 years, 3 months, 22 days. Not that I was counting or anything. It's not like I missed her or something.

Feliciana let go and grabbed my hand, "Come on! Ludwig is waiting in the car. Do you have all your bags?"

I adjusted the carry-on bag on my shoulder and nodded. As we got closer to the exit, the rest of Feliciana's statement caught up with me. "Who the hell is Ludwig?"

Feliciana giggled happily, "He's my boyfriend. He came with me to get you because I couldn't drive."

"What do you mean you couldn't drive?" I examined her for any injuries that would keep her from getting behind the wheel. I couldn't see any. _No injuries, no excuse for not driving,_ I thought definitively.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you, so we brought your car!" She responded happily, "But I can't drive a manual who-zie-whats-it. So I brought Ludwig along."

"Manual transmission," I said and then, I understood what Feliciana was saying. My baby was here. My beautiful 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth was here somewhere. I glanced around impatiently trying to find my tomato red car with a green top. Spotting it quickly, I hurried towards it almost outwardly smiling. "My baby," I cooed.

I love my car. It's my pride and joy. Most people look at it and think it's cute and small, but they have no idea about the work I've done under the hood.

Obliviously, Felciana rattled on endlessly. I vaguely heard something about Ludwig and manual transmission, but I wasn't really paying attention.

As we got closer to the car, I noticed a hulking blonde sitting in my driver's seat. "Who the hell is he? And why is he driving my precious pomodoro?"

"That's Ludwig, Sorella. I already told you that, silly. Lovina, this is my boyfriend, Ludwig Beilschmidt. Ludwig, this is mia sorella, Lovina." Feliciana introduced us through the window.

Ludwig stuck his hand out the open window to shake my hand. _Who the hell does that?!_

"Hallo, Lovina." He greeted me politely, the bastard.

"Get the hell out of my car, you, you, Potato Bastard!" I yelled slapping his proffered hand away.

Not understanding what just happened, he only responded with, "Huh?"

"Oh, my god, you're an idiota as well as a Potato Bastard. Feli, you have awful taste in men." I ranted to my sister. _She just had to go choose a German, eww!_ "I said get the hell out of my car. Who gave you permission to drive? I sure as hell didn't so move. Now!" I growled.

"Lovina, I said it was okay for him to drive. I figured you'd want to see your car and I couldn't drive it." Feliciana was almost in tears.

I'm not good with tears, especially when they're hers. Most people I yell at are guys and typically, guys don't cry. And if they did, I'd laugh hysterically.

"Whatever. Just move to the back, Potato Bastard, and don't touch my car again." I groused, hoping Feliciana would knock it off.

"I can't," Ludwig replied. "It would be illegal for me to get out of the car in a no-parking zone."

 _What the hell?_ I stared at him like he had grown a second head in the last few seconds.

"Not to mention, you don't know where we are going and you aren't used to driving in the United States." Ludwig tried to explain reasonably.

He didn't notice that I was getting redder and redder, and I was seconds away from tearing him a new one when Feliciana got in my way. She quickly put her hand over my mouth. "Lovina, we are missing dinner. Nonno is making pasta."

"With tomatoes?" I asked in awe of pasta. Momentarily pacified with the thought of food, I let her shove me into the backseat of my car.


	2. Chapter 2

Lovina:

I could tell on the car ride to the house that Ludwig was tense. I think he kept expecting me to bite his head off. _Stupid Bastard!_ I thought laughing at him. I probably would've kicked up more of a fuss, but I was still too absorbed by the thought of pasta.

When Ludwig had parked, Feliciana jumped out of the car and pulled me out towards the house. She started telling me all about the Romanesque style house while clinging to my arm. I was torn between feigning interest and deciding if I could chew my own arm off successfully.

"My bambina has returned!" An older gentleman appeared in the doorway. He tugged Feliciana from me and hugged her tightly.

"Nonno, let me go!" She giggled and tried to squirm out of his arms.

 _Oh, Nonno._ I mouthed silently recognizing the man. Romulus Vargas looked younger than his age. The sixty year old easily could've passed for late thirties. His hair, the same brown color as Feliciana's, was trimmed neatly around his ears and his smile gave way to laugh lines, but no other wrinkles could be seen. Turning away from the display of affection, I looked towards my car.

My view was interrupted by the Potato Bastard striding up the walkway like he owned the place. He stopped and greeted Nonno, "Hallo." I noticed he looked slightly worried about how tightly Nonno was squeezing Feliciana.

"Ludwig, my boy, get over here!" The older man grabbed the blonde and pulled him into the hug too. After a few moments, he released them. It was about this time that he remembered the couple hadn't been alone. "Where's your friend? I swear there had been one more you when I came out earlier." He said jovially looking around.

Finally, his eyes landed on me. They widened and his mouth opened into a small o. He seemed to recognize me immediately, but couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Oh, Lovina," He said in a strange tone I couldn't identify.

"Ciao, Nonno." I replied looking down. I felt nervous and jumpy. Suddenly, I wanted to be back in Italy, so that I didn't have to deal with this inevitable confrontation.

I felt him place his hand on my shoulder. Startled, I looked up. I waited for him to say something, anything, but the man remained silent. He just observed me closely. Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, he pulled me to his chest and enveloped me in a hug.

As he held me, my arms hung uselessly by my sides. I wasn't used to affection, and I definitely didn't expect mother's father to greet me so familiarly when I hadn't heard a peep from any of them in fifteen years.

"My nipotina, you've grown so beautiful." He said quietly so only I could hear. It'd been a long time since someone had called me granddaughter. "I've missed you, my little Nina." The nickname brought back vague memories of sitting on his lap when I was four or five. With a surge of affection, I began raising my arms to hug Nonno back. I took a deep breath. His smell was comforting, coffee and chapstick. It hadn't changed since the last time he hugged me.

A short cough caused Nonno to pull away before I could return the hug. "Lovina, you're late." I looked at mother. Her face was pinched as her brow furrowed and her lips set into a frown. I recognized that look. Even if it had been centuries instead of a decade and a half, I would always know exactly what that look meant. I shivered involuntarily.

Adriana Vargas hadn't aged as well as Nonno. Her once smooth brown hair was streaked with gray and frizzy. She leveled her watery eyes to me and glared icily. I took a moment to remember her before everything happened. Mamma was always so proper and put together. She taught Feliciana and me to always look our best. I remember one time I asked Mamma why she was a Vargas even though Dad, Feliciana, and I weren't. She said she hadn't wanted to change her last name to her married name. She sounded so proud and confident. I remembered looking at her, wanting to be her. When Dad and her got divorced, she decided her children couldn't share a name with such a - _What_ _had she called him?_ – I couldn't quite remember, but it hadn't been nice. Now that I think about it, it would probably be more correct to say she didn't want Feliciana to share his last name. It had been so long since I had thought about my name. _Oh well._ When filling out the paperwork to move here, Mamma had made me change it, so I was a Vargas now too. She didn't want to risk someone recognizing dad's last name.

"Mi dispiace, Madre." I replied staring at the ground again. Secretly, I was hoping it would swallow me. Those three words, how I hated them. The last time I saw my mother I had said them repeatedly as I begged for her forgiveness. It was like I had never stopped. When I imagined this reunion, I thought I would yell at her. How wrong I was. Without any hesitation, I had once again fallen into the habit of apologizing.

Like the last time all those years ago, she said nothing and turned away. Quietly, Nonno shuffled Feliciana, Ludwig, and I into the dining room for supper.

Hours later, I was shut in my bedroom sprawled on the bed. My eyes were closed as I attempted to have a siesta. I figured the jetlag would allow me to sleep easily. Unfortunately, the plane ride had only made my body tired, not my mind. My mind was running furiously and aimlessly. I ran through everything I could remember in the last fifteen years. Mother hadn't changed. I could tell she hadn't forgiven me. I couldn't blame her too much. It was my own fault she took Feliciana to Nonno, if only I could've kept my mouth shut.

I shook that thought away. How was I supposed to know at seven that I shouldn't mention Mamma's new male friend to our father? It's not like I knew what cheating was or how it would tear our family apart.

I sat up. I needed to get out of this house. I needed to get out of here now.

Feliciana had placed my keys on top of my dresser. Dangling from the key ring was a small tomato charm. I stared at it like it could dispel all my worries. It couldn't, but I knew what could: a drive.

Without informing anyone that I was leaving, I crept through the front room and out the main door.

When I reached my car, I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. I ran my fingertips over the hood and front fender. I love to drive. If I went fast enough, everything else would just disappear.

I started the engine and backed out of the drive way. I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't care. I needed an escape. As I drove down the winding road, I quickly accelerated. I rapidly shifted through the lower gears getting the car to purr. The rumble lightened my mood, and I spared a glance at the speedometer. I was going almost triple the recommended speed limit. I wasn't worried about getting pulled over and as I pushed the car harder, I could almost feel my doubts being left behind in the dust.

I slowed down as I approached the city. While the speed had helped, it wasn't quite enough. I needed a distraction. Preferably, it would be a tall, dark, and handsome distraction. I found a club a couple of blocks down and pulled into the parking lot. Even with the door closed, I could feel the music pounding in my chest, drawing me into the establishment.

The building was packed full of people talking, singing, dancing, drinking. This was exactly what I needed. I maneuvered my way through the crowd towards the bar and called for the bartender.

Observing my surroundings again, I noticed a short blonde girl sitting on the stool next to me. Like me, this girl had a wayward curl. She also had the strangest amethyst colored eyes. I wasn't exactly sure how I had noticed her eye color because the girl wore thick framed glasses.

"Hey, I'm Lovina." I said holding out my hand.

The blonde blinked in surprise, "Are you talking to me?"

I gave her an exasperated look, "Of course, I'm talk to you, Idiota."

"How strange," The girl blinked owlishly.

"What's your name?" I tried again. I don't even know why I was even trying to socialize with someone so inept.

"I'm Madeline, but you can call me Maddie, if you want." The girl said as an introduction before going back to ignoring me.

I rolled my eyes at the girl's rudeness and decided she must be stupid. I raised a hand again trying to get the bartender's attention. As I waited for him to get closer, I realized Maddie didn't have a drink either.

Trying one more time, I asked, "Are you the designated driver or something?"

"Um, huh," The girl blinked at me again. "Oh, you're still talking to me."

I was sorely tempted to cuss the girl out but before I could get the words out, Maddie continued. "No, I'm not the designated driver. The bartender just keeps ignoring me."

"What the hell?" I replied, "Why is he ignoring you?"

"Oh, it's quite common actually. I think you're the first person in a week or so to notice me without me actively trying to be noticed."

I stared at her with a look of disbelief and shock. How the hell can someone not notice her?

"What do you want?" The bartender finally appeared.

Ordering a glass of red wine, I motioned to Maddie to order her drink too. Before the blonde finished her request, the bartender walked away like he hadn't heard her. Shrugging, Maddie went back to staring off in the opposite direction.

Usually, I ignore people. It's better than being involved, but the whole situation earlier today had set me on edge. I was itching to chew someone out.

"Oy, dumbass bartender!" I yelled irritated. "Get your ass back over here and get my friend's order before I kick your fucking face in." With a girlish eep, the bartender rushed back over. I smiled at his fear.

"What do you want Maddie?" I asked and then relayed the order to the bartender. Within seconds, both of us had drinks.

"Thanks, Lovina." Maddie said sipping something that smelled like maple syrup.

"No problem," I rolled my shoulders and looked towards the dance floor. When my glass of wine was empty, I asked, "Hey, do you dance?"

Maddie looked at me before shrugging again, "Not well." The blonde downed her drink and stood up.

I headed towards the dance floor that was becoming a mosh pit. Used to dealing with crowds, I just pushed my way in. When I looked back, I realized Maddie wasn't behind me anymore. Instead, she was a couple rows back stuck between dancing couples. I reached for her and pulled her to the center of the dance floor.

Maddie danced awkwardly, but with some rhythm. I imagined if I got her drunk, she'd probably loosen up and be a great dancer. I smiled at the thought. _Maybe I'll try that later._

With years of clubbing experience, I flowed with the music. I love to dance especially to this fast and smooth music. My hips swayed to the beat, and I laughed out loud when I returned my attention to my new friend. Maddie tried to dance, but kept getting jostled by all the people. Yelling over the music, I said, "Do you want to go sit back down?"

Maddie nodded thankfully, and we headed to a table in the back. The table sat six but was currently empty. Exhausted, Maddie dropped into a chair dramatically.

"I'm going to go a get bottle of water. Want one?" I asked even though I had already started walking away from the blonde. A couple minutes later, I reappeared at the table with two water bottles and sat down next to Maddie.

While I had been gone, three of the remaining chairs had been taken. The trio was made up of an odd collection of guys. Luckily, they weren't too bad to look at. The first had long blonde hair pulled back into a low pony. I couldn't see much else about him because he was hidden by the girl on his lap. Rolling my eyes, I moved my eyes to the white haired man next to him. Besides the odd color of his hair and eyes, the first thing I really noticed was that his eyes were clouded. Narrowing my eyes at the five empty pint glasses in front of him, I figured alcohol was the cause of the cloudiness. My lip snarled in disgust. _Ugh, beer._ It was easy to move from him to the last member of the group.

 _I found tall, dark, and handsome._ I thought staring at the man. He had slightly curly brown hair and emerald eyes. His suntanned skin made his white teeth stand out when he smiled. He was laughing at something the white haired one had said, but the club was too loud for me to hear. His friend started shoving a mug of beer into his hands. Suddenly, I realized I had been undressing him with my eyes. Blushing in embarrassment, I quickly refocused my gaze to Maddie.

No matter how nonchalant I had tried to be, Maddie gave me a look that said she knew exactly what I had been thinking. My blush grew darker.

Maddie began to smirk and for a moment, I was regretting talking to her at the bar. She motioned for me to follow her as she headed towards the three guys. _Wow, that girl has guts._ I thought as she walked casually towards them. My gaze returned to the dark haired man.

"Hey, you guys." Maddie's tone was soft, and I figured she was going to be ignored again, but the blonde one had heard her.

"Bonjour, Madeline!" He said happily. _Oh, they know each other._ I looked at the two blondes trying to figure out how well they knew each other. Blondie whispered something to the girl on his lap. She giggled, blushed, and got up. "What can I do for you, little Cousin?" He asked giving Maddie his full attention. _Cousin?!_ _How in the world are they fucking related?_

"I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Lovina," Maddie gestured. "Lovina, this is my cousin Francis and his friends, Gilbert and Antonio."

At their names, the other two stopped horsing around and finally noticed us. I looked at the one named Antonio again. This time he returned my gaze. _Dear God, he's gorgeous,_ I thought blushing.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle." Francis said grabbing my hand. He leaned forward to kiss it.

Ripping my hand away before his lips touched, I hissed, "Don't touch me, you creepy French Bastard."

"Ohonhonhon," Francis laughed, not disturbed by my attitude at all. _Well, that's a first._ I glared harder hoping he'd stop that stupid ass laugh.

The one called Gilbert looked at me intensely, "You look familiar. Does the awesome me know you?"

 _Eww, he's German!_ "No way in hell, Potato Bastard." I replied thinking he was flirting with that overused pickup line.

"You're right, mi amigos. She does look familiar." Antonio smiled at me and I blushed again. _Damn blush!_ "Ay dios mio, she looks like Feli!" He exclaimed looking proud of himself. I noticed him take a big gulp from his drink. My eyes followed his Adam's apple as it bobbed when he swallowed.

"She does, mon ami." Francis raked his eyes up and down my figure.

"I don't see it." Gilbert said shaking his head and wobbling in his seat. "Feli's a hell of a lot cuter."

"Le gasp!" Francis said aloud jokingly. "How could you be so rude to such a cute girl?"

"Shut the hell up! How do you know my sorella?" I asked defensively. I may have not had the chance to see her grow up, but I would always be her older sister. Therefore, it's my job to be overprotective especially when such pervy bastards knew her name.

"Feli's dating my bruder," Gilbert replied searching for another beer.

"Your brother?" I said in shock, "You're related to that Macho Potato Bastard?!"

"Hey, hey! What did you call my little bruder?" He stumbled to his feet trying to get to me.

"Calm down, Gil." Francis pulled him back into his chair. Antonio remained quiet, so I looked at him again. He had finished his beer and his eyes were hazy. He glared at me like I had just insulted his mother or something. For the first time, his face didn't make me blush. His angry look made me want to disappear.

He turned towards Gil and pushed down his shoulder so he could reach his ear. He acted like he was going to whisper, but instead, his words came out loud and clear. "She's just jealous of Feli." He looked me up and down like Francis had earlier, "Makes sense that she would be. For one thing, Feli is a lot easier to look at."

I should've realized he was drunk, but the words had stung too badly. I gaped at him. His glazed eyes met mine and I glared back. Forget attraction, I was ready to beat his sorry ass.

"Oh, maple." I heard Maddie state distressed. "Let's just go," she pulled me towards the bar again.

"I'm sorry about them," Maddie said once we got to the counter. "Antonio is usually really nice unless he drinks beer. Then, he can get kind of nasty." She explained like that would make up for the insults.

"I need more wine," was all I replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Lovina:

An hour and a bottle of wine later, Maddie realized the time. "Sorry, Lovina. I've got to go. I've got to work in the morning."

"It's okay," I replied lethargically.

"I had fun hanging out with you. It's nice to be around someone who remembers I'm actually here." She shuffled nervously. "Would you want to hang out sometime?"

"Sure, doesn't matter to me." I said shrugging. The wine had calmed my frazzled nerves, but I hadn't really recovered from the early conversation. "Got something I can write my number on?" I asked searching my pockets for a pen.

She looked in her purse and pulled out a red maple leaf shaped sticky note. I grabbed a pen I noticed on the bar and jotted down my number on the note. As I handed her the note, a sun darkened hand grabbed it instead.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I said my temper rising as I glared at the perpetrator.

In front of me stood Antonio, he grinned sheepishly at me and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. Whatever his buddies and he had done in the last hour had sobered him.

"Here, I'll just give you mine. Call me sometime." She thrust another maple leaf into my hand a little impatient. I took a break from glaring at the Spanish guy to see her rushing out the door.

 _She's quick_. I observed casually thinking she could probably give a retreating Italian a run for their money. I put her number in my pocket and patted it. I was stalling. I didn't want to deal with the man who had been cruel. Seeing as I am Italian, I bet I could make a swift exit like Maddie. To my disappointment, my escape plans were shut down as my eye sight was blocked by something red. I blinked to bring the offending object into focus. That bastard was waving my number in front of my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I clenched my hands into fists. _No way in hell was he getting my number._

"Give it back!" I growled at him trying to rip the paper out of his hands.

He pulled it up and dangled it just out of my reach. I pouted angrily. _Oh, if only looks could kill._ I thought evilly.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a true grin. He shook the maple leaf note and lowered it closer to me. I reached for it and once again, he moved it out of my reach.

"You are so pequeña," He laughed as I jumped for it.

After a few seconds, I stopped trying and crossed my arms over my chest. My eyes narrowed at him.

"How about I make you a deal? One dance and you can have it back." He laughed as my face changed from irritation to a bright blush.

"How about I make you a deal? Give it back or I'll kick you in the fucking balls." I ground out.

I expected him to flinch or at least pale, but he just laughed again. _Why are the good looking ones always so stupid?_ I thought to myself.

"Come on, mi amor. It's only a dance." He folded the note and put it in his back pocket. "Or can you not dance?" He taunted me.

For a split second, I contemplated actually kicking him before my pride caused me to give into Antonio's deal.

"Let's see if you can keep up." Without waiting for him, I headed to the dance floor.

He quickly caught up and grabbed my hand. Before I could pull away, he spun me out. With a flick of his wrist, he sent me careening into his chest as I spun back to him. My hands landed on his chest as I attempted to regain my balance.

I wanted to smack him, but the song changed. The music played the same endless beat, but this song had an undertone that begged for salsa dancing.

I smirked, met his eyes, and thought _Bring it on._ As the music grew, I started to sway my hips in time with the song. My hands that had been resting on his chest slowly slid down. As my fingers reached his waist band, I felt him shiver. His emerald colored eyes darkened. He reached for my hands, but I stepped just out of reach continuing to move my body provocatively.

I wanted him to want me. I wanted to prove that his earlier statement was wrong. The easiest way to do that would be to touch him again. I moved closer to him spinning at a crescendo in the song. As I got within his reach, he grabbed my waist. His fingers gripped me tightly as he tried to pull me against him. I let him move me closer, but not as close as he wanted. He let out a low growl. I moved my hands to his chest again and walked my fingers up to his shoulders. I clasped my hands behind his neck and pushed my body flush against his. As I swayed, our grips on each other caused him to move along with me.

I could tell he was feeling more confident because he began slowly rubbing his hands up and down my sides. _Nuh uh_ , I thought to myself and pulled the short hairs at the base of his neck. It wasn't enough to really hurt, but it got my point across. He winced slightly at the pain and fisted his hands in my shirt.

I wiggled myself free. He tried to grab me again, but I smacked his wrist lightly in warning. I was in control of this dance, not him. For a couple of beats, I ignored him and just moved with music. My years in Southern Italy had taught me a few tricks, and I knew just what to do.

The song slowed down slightly, and I used this opportunity to move towards him again. I reached my arms around his waist and squeezed his backend. He exhaled roughly and moved to return the favor. While he was distracted, I reached the tips of my fingers into his back pocket and pulled out the note. I flipped it so that it rested against my palm. I contemplated taking his wallet too, but decided that his hands were getting a little too friendly with my butt for comfort. I withdrew my hands and he twirled me out again holding onto my empty hand. As he pulled me to him, I made sure to 'accidently' stumble. As I expected, he moved to catch me. I positioned my hands by his neck again and he leaned his mouth closer to mine.

 _If only he hadn't been such an ass_ , I thought with a small pang of regret. He looked amazing like this: eyes half lidded, plump lips moistened periodically with a small pink tongue, and his cheeks covered in an enamored blush. I mentally shook my head trying to resist the temptation to touch his lips to mine and shove my tongue in his mouth.

Refocusing, I saw my opportunity just before his eyes slid closed. I pulled my head back and dangled the red note in front of his face. His eye widened comically and I skipped back from him. He hadn't made any attempt to follow me. I guess he was too shocked to process what had happened. He blinked and realized I was no longer next to him. As his eyes met mine again, I waved at him cheekily before striding happily out of the club.


	4. Chapter 4

Antonio:

Due to the obnoxious beeping coming from my left, I was forced to regain consciousness. I reached over to smack the alarm clock and groaned as my head pounded. Flopping back onto my pillow, I took a moment to recall why I was in this state.

The previous night had started like most other clubbing nights. Francis, Gilbert, and I had been knocking back our favorite drinks, my preferred beverage being red wine. As we enjoyed our surroundings, I remember thinking that the night was going well. Francis had met some girl and judging from her position on his lap, I imagined our trio would soon be down to two. Gilbert had downed more beer than a normal person did in a month. I laughed as he tried to reach for another pint, but he wasn't successful. Apparently, he had his beer goggles on and was seeing double or maybe triple. When Gilbert had finally managed to get ahold of the glass, he shoved it into my hand.

Most people can't identify exactly when everything went to hell, but I knew it was that moment. I shouldn't have taken that beer, and I definitely shouldn't have drunk it. Shaking my head, a fiercer pounding resounded in my head and drew me back to last night.

My typical night was suddenly upended when I heard my name. Standing in front of Francis was Francis' cousin whose name I could never remember and a girl I had never seen before. Francis' cousin Madeline, thank goodness Francis said her name, introduced her new friend as Lovina. Shifting my eyes to Lovina, I was momentarily stunned. Her eyes had met mine and when she realized I was looking back at her, a sweet blush coated her cheeks. She looked just like a tomato! I just love tomatoes!

Distracted by my favorite food, I had thoughtlessly brought the beer glass to my lips and took a long drink. I shouldn't ever drink beer. I had known for years that I should just stick to wine. Beer brought out parts of my personality that were better left alone. The night I turned of age, I had two pints and took on an entire biker gang, semi-successfully. According to the spectators, my usual carefree smile was missing and a terrifying monster had taken my place.

Anyways back to last night. Francis said something flirty, and it seemed to piss off Lovina. I giggled at the thought of Francis being rebuffed and took another gulp. I was drawn back into the conversation by Gilbert saying the new girl looked familiar. I don't know how I hadn't noticed sooner who she was, probably the alcohol. The two Vargas girls looked almost like twins.

I recalled Gilbert saying something rude, Lovina yelling, and some argument about siblings. During this time, I had finished my beer and my personality was starting to warp. One beer makes me mean; two makes me fight-hungry. Thank god, I had just had one.

I definitely was not proud of what I had said to her, but my drunken mind had taken pleasure in her hurt feelings. As the girls left, I think Francis realized that I had gone too far and needed to be sobered up. It took an hour of water and cool air to get my head back on straight.

Once I was thinking clearly, I knew I needed to apologize. Part of me hoped she had left already, so that I didn't have to own up to my behavior. When my first look around yielded no results, I was ready to just write it off, but Francis pointed her out.

She was sitting at the bar nursing an almost empty glass of my favorite wine. The wine had made her cheeks flushed and I was struck once again by how much she looked like a tomato.

I headed over there trying to come up with something to say, but my mind was blank. I stood behind her for a moment, but she didn't notice. She was too busy writing something down on a maple leaf note. I gathered from the conversation that it was her number.

Without thinking, which I should admit is typical for me, I stole the note from her hand as she passed it to Francis' cousin, Melissa or Meghan or something. My plan to get her to dance with me was thought up on the spot.

Jeez, she definitely knew how to dance. Just thinking about how her body moved to the beat and felt against mine set my blood ablaze. She was so sassy too. Even her cussing was adorable; it fit her fiery personality.

I moved slowly trying to get out of bed without keeling over. _I wouldn't mind seeing her again_ , I thought heading towards the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face and tried to remember where I had kept the pain relievers. _I never actually apologized._ I jerked my head at the thought and groaned in pain again.

 _If I ever see her again, the first thing I will do is apologize._ I decided glancing at the time. _I'm going to be late!_

A few minutes later than normal, I arrived at the farmer's market. Every other Saturday was market day and I volunteered to help set up the booths. Also, I was in charge of setting out the fruits and vegetables for a local farmer.

Since it was late September, this would probably be the last market this year that sold in season, locally grown tomatoes. Even though that made me sad, I couldn't be too upset since autumn was my favorite season. It also helped that I had a secret stash of tomatoes at home.

When the farmer's market opened, I was still arranging the pumpkins. Most of the customers were regulars and greeted me with a friendly, "Hello, Antonio!"

Barely an hour into the market, I heard a familiar voice say, "Hey, how much are the tomatoes?"

My back was turned towards the front of the stand, but I responded with the going price. I had been rearranging the remaining pumpkins. I nearly dropped one on my foot when my brain finally put a face and name to the voice.

"Lovina?!" I said shocked turning abruptly.

"Damn it, it's you." She responded grouchily.

I couldn't help it when my grin widened. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I can't say the same, Bastardo." She was blushing again.

"You know, I never actually got the chance to apologize for what I said last night." My grin had lessened significantly, but it needed to be said. "Beer is not my friend. I shouldn't have been so rude, and I shouldn't have insulted you."

Her neutral gaze hardened into a glare and frown. I hadn't expected that, so I hesitated for a second.

"Generally, alcohol makes people confess what they really think. You don't have to make excuses. I'm used to it. Feli's over there, if you're looking." She said matter-of-factly pointing to a different booth. She shoved some money in my face and grabbed an armful of tomatoes. "That should cover it. Keep the change, Idiota." Before I could even process what she had said, she was gone again.

She's like Houdini. I'd never seen someone disappear so quickly. _What in the world did she mean 'confess what they really think'?_ My brain had finally processed her words. _Did she really think I liked Feli better?_

Feli's cute and all, but she's more like a little sister. I had never found her as attractive as I had Lovina. Feli's cute and fluffy. She made you want to praise her, to pat her on the head, and tell her she's a good girl. Lovina is…she is, well, she's a woman. She's tough, fiery, and sexy as hell. She's also delicate and vulnerable. The hurt looks I had seen, including the one I caused, made me want to hug her, comfort her. I wanted to get to know her, if she'd let me.

I sighed and turned back to the pumpkins. I didn't know how I was going to convince her to let me in.

Hours later found me sitting in Francis' kitchen with Gilbert. We were in the middle of discussing our plans for tonight. Well, Gilbert was yelling, Francis was laughing, and I was stuffing my face with a tomato.

"The awesome me vants to go drinking!" Gilbert looked seconds away from chanting beer.

"You always want to go drinking," I interjected helpfully.

"Ohonhon, we should do something different tonight, mes amies." Francis suggested.

"Vell, West said there is a race going on tonight down by the docks."

Francis and I perked up at Gilbert's idea. Francis exclaiming, "Tres magnifique!" as I said, "Let's go!"

Race nights were always so much fun. Personally, I didn't ever race. It's not that I hadn't tried; I just wasn't very good. Gilbert said I got distracted to easily. I guess he did have a point even if I didn't want to admit it.

Out of the three of us, Gilbert was the best driver and racer, so it wasn't surprising we took his car, a 1970 Dodge Challenger. " _It's got a 340 six pack and it's a four speed. It's as awesome as me!"_ He told us when he got it. He always went on about the awesomeness of American built muscle cars, _"It's the only thing they did right."_

The thing was built like a tank, but the curved body lines made it attractive. I remember questioning his taste when I first saw the color. _"It's called Sassy Grassy Green. Isn't that funny? Kesesese!"_ Luckily, the bright green was broken up by a black hood and black stripes along the side. It was quite the car but was only a two door. "Zwei door muscle cars are better than vier!" Gilbert argued whenever we complained about having to climb into the back. Like usual, Francis and I drew straws to see who had to sit in the back. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side.

"Who is going to be there?" I asked curiously hanging over the back of Francis' seat.

"Everyone," Gilbert replied usefully, at least in his opinion.

"I imagine if your petit frere is going to be there, his amour will be there too. Maybe Antonio's l'objet d'amour will be present." Francis gave me a knowing look.

"That bitch? Really, Toni?" Gilbert took his eyes off the road to look at me incredulously.

"Eyes on the road, mon ami," Francis commanded. "Anyways, it was coup de foudre."

"I don't know if I'd say love at first sight, mis amigos." I shook my head forlorn.

"Love at first dance, then. Ohonhonhon," he countered.

"It's not amor. She's just interesting." Recalling her blush, I felt my stomach flip flop.

"Oh, sure, if you can call a poisonous snake interesting," Gil muttered.

Francis rolled his eyes, "Lighten up. You've defended your brother's honor enough."

"She looks like a tomate when she blushes," I tried to explain.

"A tomato?" My French friend looked thoroughly scandalized, which was saying something.

"Kesesese, a tomato. Mein Gott, that's good!" Gil burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

Feeling insulted, I leaned back in the black leather seats and pouted. "If you guys can't be nice, then I won't talk to you," I threatened childishly.

"Come on, Toni. Don't be like that." Gil said, "Anyvay, vee are here."

The intersection was full of cars, foreign and American built. Gilbert slowed to a crawl to avoid hitting any pedestrians.

"There's Ludwig!" I pointed out the hulking blonde.


	5. Chapter 5

Antonio:

"We have twelve cars racing tonight, so six preliminary races. Each race will be a quarter mile. The end is marked with cones and flags," The announcer explained. "The winners of the preliminaries will compete in the semifinal. Of those races, the winners will move onto the final race. The remaining three will take part in the final race. It is a single lap around a predetermined track. The track will be revealed after the semifinals. Any questions?" The announcer didn't actually pause, "The race roster will be on the chalk board. Racers will be identified by their licenses plate." As he walked off, I noticed the racers hurrying towards the aforementioned board.

Since Gil was going to race, I followed him to the roster.

Preliminaries:

SKYFALL VS FREEDOM

KETCHUP VS ARU

MAPLE VS ICE CRM

AWESOME VS SWDSH FSH

KOL KOL VS OTAKU

ZZZZZZZ VS OTTOMAN

I giggled at the names. People put the strangest things for their license plates. It was easy to identify some of the drivers. SKYFALL was a weird English guy with huge eyebrows. Eyebrows' opponent was Alfred T. Jones. I only know his full name because that's how he introduces himself. AWESOME was obviously Gilbert and he was against Berwald, this scary looking Swedish guy. KOL KOL was the creepy Russian, and ARU was his Chinese friend. OTAKU was this short Japanese kid, ZZZZZZZ was Greek, and the last guy always wears a mask. I wasn't so sure about KETCHUP, MAPLE, or ICE CRM. ICE CRM could be that Cuban guy that always carries around ice cream.

"I'm fourth to race," Gil complained loudly. "That is so unawesome!"

"Don't fret," Francis patted him on the shoulder. "It'll give us a chance to look around."

"If you say so," the self-proclaimed awesome one gave in.

We didn't watch the first three races because Gilbert thought it was bad luck. It was hard not to pay attention though when the crowd erupted in cheers and boos. I was curious who had won, but Gilbert's superstition wouldn't allow me to go check.

"Finally, it's my turn." Gilbert grinned and headed towards his car.

As he pulled up to the starting line, Francis and I joined the crowd to watch the race. Attempting to egg his opponent on and riling up the crowd, Gilbert revved his engine. From the murmurs going around, everyone thought the rumble sounded good.

When the opponents were in position, the flags went down. Gilbert took off like a shot. His Swedish component gave him a run for his money initially, but Gil quickly pulled ahead. Gil beat him by a full car length.

As the next racers were called to the line, Francis and I left to track down our Prussian friend.

"Did you guys see that?" Gilbert was practically bouncing. "It vas so awesome. First, he vas like zoom and I vas like 'nuh uh'. Then, he vas like 'oh no' and I vas like 'bye sucker!' That vas great!" He was breathing heavily and his grin took over his face. "I can't vait for the semifinals. I'm so going to kick some ass!"

Before we knew it, the announcer had called for attention. "The results of the preliminaries are as followed: SKYFALL beat FREEDOM, KETCHUP beat ARU, MAPLE beat ICE CRM, AWESOME beat SWDSH FSH, OTAKU beat KOL KOL, and ZZZZZZZ beat OTTOMAN. The semifinals will start in fifteen minutes. Please consult the chalk board for the lineup."

The updated chalkboard listed the next set of races.

SEMIFINALS

ZZZZZZZ VS OTAKU

AWESOME VS MAPLE

KETCHUP VS SKYFALL

"Maple?" Francis asked curiously when he noticed Gil's new competitor. "That sounds awfully familiar."

"Who cares? The awesome me will beat him easily," Gil declared confidently.

When his next race came up, we walked alongside Gilbert's Challenger as he got into position. Gilbert rambled on and talked trash about his imagined opponent.

"I bet they drive some stupid import." Any further insults were drowned out by MAPLE's engine.

Lined up to the right of Gilbert was a beautiful red car. It had a pointed nose and large wing on the back. The car could've been described as oddly shaped, but it was obvious the body was designed for speed.

"That is a 1970 Plymouth Superbird!" I don't know much about cars, but by the way Gil's jaw dropped, I imagined it was rare and fast. "That car was the first to hit 200 mph. I never thought I'd get to see one."

Luckily for Gil, the referee noticed his distraction and hadn't started the race yet. Once we finished admiring the car, we were very curious as to who was driving it.

The Superbird's driver rolled down the window and honked the horn. The car let out the Road Runner's Meep Meep, and the driver waved calmly. Sitting behind the car was a very familiar, but forgettable blonde.

"Scheisse! Is that Maddie?" Gilbert cursed. His eyes were glued to the short blonde, but she had turned her gaze forward again.

"It would appear so, mon ami." Francis was just as surprised by this turn of events. I would've expressed my shock, but suddenly, Francis and I were rushed off the track.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" The flag was dropped and both muscle cars peeled away from the line.

As the cars got further away, it was obvious who was going to win. Maddie finished in 13.5 seconds, Gilbert finished in 15.2. Maddie pulled her car out of the way, and Gilbert followed closely behind.

"I'll go do damage control, oui?" Francis suggested and at my nod, he took off after the two cars.

I didn't want to stand alone, so I walked over to Ludwig and Feli. When we had met up earlier, I learned that Feli was here, but when I asked about her sister, she just gave me a secretive smile. The smile looked a little sinister on the usually carefree and open Italian.

Choosing to ignore the look, I chatted easily with the small Italian about the last race. She couldn't believe Big Brother Gilbert had lost.

Ludwig chimed in indifferently, "He didn't stand a chance. Superbirds are in a league all their own." Then, he motioned for us to be quiet as the next two competitors pulled up.

"Is that Bond, James Bond's car?" I asked imitating the popular icon's introduction.

"Ja, it's a 1964 Aston Martin DB5." Ludwig informed me.

"That car is cool, but I'm cheering for the other one." Feli stated almost glaring at the silver car.

"Why's tha-OH MY TOMATO!" The second car was a cute little compact, red with a green top. It looked exactly like a tomato. _That must be KETCHUP_. I admired the tomato-like car and then, the license plate clicked. "I love that car," I grinned happily, "I agree with Feli. I'm cheering for the tomato one!"

I was so distracted I didn't notice the actual race. I just stared at KETCHUP. My eyes never even took in the other car. If Feli hadn't cheered, I wouldn't have noticed that the tomato car had won.

As the two competing cars pulled off, I turned to Ludwig and Feli. "I've got to go see that car up close. It's a tomato!" The excitement was clear in my voice.

"Okay, Big Brother Toni." Feli said giving me that same smile she had earlier. "Make sure to say hi and congrats to the driver for me."

"Will do. Bye you two." I waved and hurried towards my dream car.


	6. Chapter 6

Antonio:

KETCHUP wasn't easy to find. The surrounding streets were overly crowded, and it was too noisy to ask.

"Tomato! Oh, Tomato!" I called as I got a little past the noise. Obviously the car didn't respond.

Huffing dejectedly, I was about to give up. _I'll look one more block and if I still can't find it, I'll just go find Francis or Gilbert._

Fully expecting to see another empty street, I turned the corner, and there in all its shining glory was mi coche de tomate.

I could hear angels harmonizing, and I almost fell to my knees in prayer. _Hallelujah, all praise the tomato car!_

Said car was spotlighted by a street lamp. The hood was up, and the driver was bent over checking something on the engine. It was hard to really make out the driver given his all black outfit, which included dark colored jeans and a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head.

"Hey, great race," I said walking towards him. "I must say your car is asombroso! Perfecto! I love tomatoes and your car looks just like one. Although, you probably knew that already. Fusososo." I rambled excitedly, but the driver continued to tinker under the hood. Giving the driver a cursory glance, I noticed he was slim almost dainty. "You know for a guy, you're surprisingly feminine looking." I voiced my thought.

Finally, the driver turned towards me, "You know for a dumbass, you're unsurprisingly sexist."

"Ay dios mio, lo siento! Por favor perdoname, Senorita." I didn't realize I switched to Spanish in my embarrassment.

"Holy shit, stop rambling at me in Spanish, Bastard." The girl sound exasperated and extremely irritated.

Instantly, my mouth snapped shut. I knew that voice. "Hola, Lovina."

Lovina glared at me and turned back to her car.

"I didn't mean to call you a guy," I said apologetically. "I was so excited about the car that I wasn't really attention." She cut her eyes at me. "Not that that is really an excuse for calling a pretty lady male."

"Just shut up," she growled reaching for a wrench that was sitting on top of the air filter.

 _I always put my foot in my mouth around you_ , I thought. "You always bring out the worst in me." I hadn't meant to say that out loud even if I was just saying it to myself.

There was a loud clatter as the wrench fell through the engine compartment and landed on the street below.

"Shit! God, fucking damn it." Lovina cursed standing up. Ignoring the wrench, she turned to me fully. "You are such an ass. I bring out the worst in you? Who the hell says that? I should show you the worst in me, Bastard." She stalked towards me with clenched fists. "I should kick your ass for all the crap you've said to me."

"Um, Lovina, I didn't mean it like that. I meant-" My explanation was interrupted by a static noise.

Shoving my chest hard with both her hands, the Italian walked away from me and reached through her window. As she pulled her body back into a standing position, I noticed the walkie talkie in her hand.

The static coming from it was interrupted, "Code 5-0, I repeat Code 5-0!"

"Shit," she rushed to the front of the car and shut the hood roughly, the wrench forgotten underneath.

"What's a Code 5-0?" I asked while I bent to retrieve the dropped tool.

"Cops," she replied tersely. "Get in the car."

I watched her pull her door open and slide in, "Huh?"

She slammed her door shut and looked at me through the open window. "Get in the car or don't get in the car. I don't care, but this is the last time I offer. I don't want to be here when the polizia show up."

I caught on to the edge in her voice and jumped into the passenger's seat. Police sirens could suddenly be heard.

Instead of backing away from the noise, Lovina headed towards it.

"Where are we going?" I gripped the arm rest as she drove recklessly.

"I've got to get Feli," she ground out completely focused on the road in front of her.

She swerved to avoid the Aston Martin she beat earlier. "Fuck!" I wasn't sure if she was angry or scared. My guess was scared when I noticed the cop barricade in front of us. "Shit, shit, shit." She chanted under her breath before throwing the car into reverse. As we backed up rapidly, she turned the wheel sharply, pressed the break, and threw the car into neutral. About halfway through the slide, she put the car into drive and stepped on the gas. I was thrown back into my seat and extremely surprised to find us now facing away from the police cars.

It was about this time I came to two realizations. First, I needed to hurry up and put on my freaking seatbelt. Second, Lovina was one hell of a driver.

As I admired her driving skills, I could tell she was anxious. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel.

"Hey, Feli was with Ludwig. He'll keep her safe."

She nodded jerkily but didn't seem to get my message.

"She'll be fine, Lovi." I didn't even notice the nickname I gave her.

I was thrown against the window as Lovina skidded around a turn. She hadn't even slowed down.

"How can I trust that Potato Bastard to protect her?" Lovina finally spoke.

Even though we were in a hectic situation, I got the feeling she wasn't just talking about this exact moment.

"He loves her. She'll be fine." I tried to reassure her.

She nodded again. She jerked her steering wheel again, and I came crashing into her. "Get off me, Idiota."

I tried to regain my center of gravity, but she turned rapidly causing me to smack the window again.

"Ow," I groaned. I could feel a bruise forming where the armrest hit my side.

"We are almost there, you big baby." I saw a small grin on her face as she made fun of me.

Rubbing my side, I questioned, "We are almost where?"

"Just watch," she smirked at me.

The police cars were falling back a little bit. She made a sharp left into a long term parking tower.

"Isn't this going to be a dead end?" I asked questioning her sanity.

Her smirk grew which wasn't exactly reassuring. She made short work of the first three levels. On the fourth level, she slowed the car down. Ahead, there were two large SUVs separated by a single parking place.

Before I had even realized she had put it into reverse, she backed us into the empty spot. As the back wall got closer and closer, I was worried she wasn't going to stop. Fortunately, she stopped centimeters away. Then, she flipped a switch on her dash and a small motor could be heard overhead. When the noise stopped, she turned the car off.

At my confused look, she said, "if I'm close to the wall, they'll have a harder time seeing my license plate and the switch opens up the solar cover. It's supposed to protect the roof from peeling, but it also makes the roof look black."

I was starting to get the feeling this wasn't her first time evading the police.

"So what do we do now?" I asked listening to the police sirens.

"If we're lucky, they'll bypass the parking tower." She was surprisingly calm even though we both could tell the sirens were getting closer.

"If we aren't lucky?" I tried to appear calm, but I wasn't sure I was succeeding.

"I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve, Bastardo." Lovina sounded awfully proud of her tricks. She shuffled around in her seat and withdrew her phone from her back pocket. I couldn't tell what she was doing, but it didn't really seem like the time to be playing Candy Crush or something.

"What are you doing?" I tend to be more talkative when I'm anxious.

"It's a frequency scanner," Short and to the point, but overall not very informative.

"What's it for?"

"I'm going to see if I can find out what the cops are doing."

"Oh," was all I could say.

White noise filled the car and then suddenly a voice could be heard, "We are in pursuit of a Fiat 500 red with a green top. It was last seen near a parking tower on 6th."

"Shit," she mumbled.

"We are pretty far up the tower. They probably won't look this high up." I tried to sound comforting. "They'll probably check up to the second level and then think we took that exit back to the street."

"Shh, I'm trying to listen." She replied, but the scanner was just producing white noise again.

We sat in tense silence for a couple of moments. In an attempt to break it, I asked "So why'd you move away from Italy?"

"Really, Bastard? You want my life story now?" She looked at me incredulously.

"Okay," I conceded. "Maybe now isn't the best time. Can I hear it later?"

She huffed, but didn't say no.

The dark parking structure was lit up by flashing lights. A male voice echoed through the parking center, "Hey, I don't remember that car being here earlier." The voice sounded far away. Maybe the third level, I guessed.

"Fuck," she said dragging out the word. I watched her as several emotions flitted across her face. I could identify nervousness, maybe some terror, and then a look for resignation. The last emotion was quickly replaced by a determined and very attractive pout.

"Scoot the seat back as far as it will go," she ordered. I looked at her blankly. "Move it back. The handle is underneath the seat in the front." Her commanding tone made me move to follow her order. I had to take off my seat belt to reach, but I quickly found the handle she was talking about.

As I scooted the passenger seat back, I watched her unbuckle her seat belt. She had crossed her arms around her waist and grabbed the hem of her hoodie.

"Wha-what are you doing?" I stuttered as she lifted the sweater over her head to take it off. That alone wouldn't have been too bad, but she was taking her undershirt with it. "Lovi, um, your shirt." I could feel a heated blush spreading across my face. I tried to find anything other than her exposed stomach to look at. I heard her move, but instead of seeing what she was doing, I was staring intently at the roof.

Suddenly, she was straddling my lap, and my gaze shot to her. I couldn't help but notice that she was only in her bra and jeans. I stared at her chest dumbly without meaning to. Her bra was colored like the Italian flag. Raising my eyes, I focused on her hair that was falling around her shoulders. It was messed up from her removing her hoodie, but still, it looked perfect. Moving my eyes up, I focused on her face. She was blushing and her teeth were clenched together. As I finally met her eyes, I was drawn in by the glint of determination. It took me a moment to recognize the hint of lust peeking through.

I opened my mouth but was cut off by the rumble of a car approaching.

"Go along with it," she pleaded quietly. I gave her a minuscule nod without really knowing what I was agreeing to, and then, her lips were on mine.

I'm ashamed to admit that I sat frozen for the first few seconds of the kiss. My brain was trying to figure out how we had gone from her cussing at me to her sitting on my lap. So far, I was getting 2+2=5.

The longer I sat still, the more I could feel her radiate hurt. I wanted to kiss her back, but my body wasn't cooperating. Still trying to reboot, I guess.

She slid her hands up my shoulders to my neck, and I felt her grab my hair. With a sharp tug, my mouth opened involuntarily letting out a gasped moan. Part of me was getting concerned as to why having my hair pulled felt so good. The other part of me was focused on her tongue as it mapped the inside of my mouth.

Her tongue slowly tried to coax mine into responding. As she started to pull away, I felt a moment of panic which caused my body to finally respond.

One of my arms wrapped around her waist and my other hand went up to cup her cheek. I pulled her more tightly against me and returned her kiss.

I'm not sure how long we sat lip-locked. It could've been seconds or hours, but I was too lost in the feeling to care.

I loosened my hold on her face and allowed my hands to trail down the curve of her waist. Lovina shivered and kissed me harder.

Damn, she could kiss. We fought for dominance and with another tug on my hair, I willingly gave up control to her.

My hands ran carefully over her stomach and chest. My movements weren't so much groping as they were caressing, trying to memorize exactly how she felt.

We pulled away from each other panting lightly. Before I could regain my breath, Lovina had moved her lips to my ear. She breathed lightly against the shell of my ear causing me shutter. As her teeth scraped against my earlobe, I moaned into her shoulder and pressed soft kisses against her skin.

In an agonizingly slow movement, Lovina made her way down my neck pressing gentle kisses and sharp bites against the sensitive skin. At my pulse point, she bit lightly and sucked until I couldn't stop the noise that escaped. At the sound, she released the tortured skin. Lovina pressed a soothing kiss against the reddening spot before smiling at me. The look on her face was surprisingly soft, and I couldn't help pulling her head closer to rejoin our lips. This kiss was slower and more sensual. It was deeper.

I was trying to convey a feeling I couldn't quite name. It wasn't just lust, although that feeling was definitely there. It was warm and comforting. It was like my soul shifted to meet hers, but instead of being disconcerting, I felt perfect. Having her in my arms felt perfect.

I wanted her to feel how much I wanted her. How much I wanted not only her body, but for her entire being to be mine.

I wasn't sure if my meaning came across, but I felt her return my kiss enthusiastically. I took that as a good sign and couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. She sighed happily into the kiss and slipped her fingers under my t-shirt.

A loud knock made both of us jump. We probably would've jumped apart if we had been in a larger space. I had forgotten about the cops. My bright grin slipped. _She kissed me as a distraction_ , I realized.

I looked out my window to see a bright light and a dark shadow. The shadow motioned for me to roll down the window.

Even though I was feeling slightly used, I adjusted Lovina to try and hide her against me. I rolled down the window, "Excuse me, sir. Have we done something wrong?" I tried to keep my voice steady but Lovina's hands were still under my shirt tracing my hip bones. The sensation confused me. There wasn't any reason to keep up the charade.

"Can you please exit the vehicle?" The voice was deep but monotone.

"Can I at least put a shirt on first?" Lovina snapped finally removing her hands from my torso. I was worried about the tone, but at least she didn't cuss.

"Give them a moment," a second cop said from behind the first. I could hear the laughter in his voice. "Don't you remember what it was like to be that age?"

"Fine, get straightened out and then, get out of the car." The one by our window said without answering his partner's question.

I reached for Lovina's shirt and jacket. Given our close proximity, I had to help her get them back on or I would've had an elbow to the face.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Sure, Bastard." Oh, the cussing was back. _I was right. The kiss was for show._

With that depressing thought, I opened the door. Lovina gracefully unfolded herself from my lap and backed up a little so that I could get out. She waited for me to head towards the cops before following closely behind me.

Her hiding behind me was surprising. I assumed she'd go striding up and chew them out. _Maybe she's playing the embarrassed school girl_ , I was steadily getting more and more pissed.

"Oh, the lovebirds are out." The second cop said. As they lowered their flashlights, I realized they weren't cops. They were parking security. I could've laughed in relief.

"What are you doing here?" The no-nonsense one asked.

"Um," I rubbed the back of my neck. Under the best circumstances, I wasn't the best liar. In this situation, I wasn't even sure what to say.

"Really, you're going to make him say it? You're such a stick in the mud, Bruce." Bruce rolled his eyes. "Obviously, he was hoping to get lucky."

"Barry," Bruce said warningly.

"Sorry, sirs. We didn't mean to do anything wrong." Lovina peeked out from behind me to say, "We just don't get much time alone." She blushed and stepped up to my side.

"Well, aren't you a cutie," Barry smiled widely. I hadn't even realized I was glaring until Bruce cleared his throat.

Lovina noticed the exchange and slipped her hand into mine. My eyes involuntarily looked her way. Her lips were curved up into a small smile, but her eyes were warning me to not anger the security officers.

With Bruce standing stoically to the side, Barry said, "We'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, find a better place to have some alone time."

"Thanks, sirs. We won't do this again." I promised solemnly. _There's no way in hell I'll let her play me again. This is the second time she's just drug me along to her whims. I'm tired of it._

Bruce gave us both a stern look, and both men got back into their patrol car. They waited for us to get into the car and start it before they pulled away.

Lovina and I sat there awkwardly. I was almost visibly fuming due to hurt pride and she had yet to say anything.

"Um, I-" She began but I didn't want to hear it.

"2435 Elm St. Take the freeway southbound." I snapped interrupting her. When I noticed her hesitation, I ordered, "Take me home."

Most of the drive was silent. The monotony was only broken up by my directions. It wasn't long until we reached my home. Without even a goodbye or a glance in her direction, I exited the car and headed to my front door.


	7. Chapter 7

Lovina:

I was seriously starting to question my sanity. Antonio had left several minutes ago, but I was still parked in front of his house. I wasn't sure exactly why I hadn't moved, but no matter how hard I tried to move, my body refused to put the car into drive.

I recalled the events from the last couple of hours. The night had been surprisingly fun. I always did love a good police escape. That impromptu make-out session though was bordering between the best night of my life and a slow descent into madness.

I brought my fingers to my lips. I could still feel his lips against mine. I hadn't meant to let the kiss get that far. _I even left a mark on him_ , I thought blushing fire engine red.

My mind ran through the scene in the car. My plan had been so simple. If we were caught in the middle of making out, I thought maybe the cops would think we had been there for a while or maybe be too embarrassed to really question us. I know it wasn't the best plan, but it was all I could think of on short notice. The American police were a lot more determined than the ones I remembered in Italy.

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure when the plan had started to change. It could've been when he didn't kiss back and I was determined to make him. Once again, I was trying to prove something to him. It could've been when he finally did kiss back, and he took away my ability to think. His touches set fire to my skin and butterflies erupted in my stomach. I think it was when I gave into those feelings and started _really_ kissing him. It probably didn't help that each time he shuddered I craved more.

When I started to kiss down his neck, I was determined to make him moan. The kisses weren't doing much outwardly, and the bites only got me more shudders. I wanted a vocal response. With how chatty the Bastard is, I figured he would be noisier. As I found the perfect spot, I worked the skin until I got exactly what I wanted. Remembering it made me want to kiss him again.

Pulling out of my memories, I glanced at his front door. He hadn't been very happy when he left. I'm not very good at reading people, but my guess was he realized he had been kissing the wrong Vargas. He did tell me he liked Feli better, hadn't he? Either way, I'm sure he had been enjoying the kisses even if security intervention ruined the mood.

The side of my head fell heavily against the steering wheel as my eyes stayed glued to his door. I didn't want it to end this way with him mad and me desperate to kiss him again. Even with that thought, it still took me a couple more minutes to gather my courage to get out of the car.

I slowly made my way up the sidewalk and noticed Antonio's house was a duplex. I figured he lived in the left part of the joined house seeing as that was the door he had disappeared through. I briefly wondered if he had roommates or if he lived alone. My hand tentatively knocked at the door.

Instead of being greeted by the Spaniard like I expected, a blonde woman with a headband opened the door. She looked a little older than me, but I never had been the best judge of age. As the seconds ticked passed in silence, I realized I should probably say something.

"Um, can I talk to, um, Antonio?" I wasn't used to saying his real name aloud.

"Hmm, who are you?" She asked curiously instead of answering.

"Uh, my name is Lovina." I stuck my hand out for her to shake.

"Lovina?" A sly grin appeared on her face as she grabbed my hand. She let me go after a firm shake. "I've heard about you. My name is Laura."

"Where did you hear about me?" I asked shocked.

"Oh, you know, here and there." That was really vague.

"Here and there?"

She nodded but didn't elaborate.

"Hey, sis! Do you know what's going on with that idiot?" A new male voice spoke up from out of sight.

"Oh, I think I know, Abel." Laura answered her brother. "Come meet the reason," Laura giggled and pulled him into view. The newcomer had this weird sticky-uppy hair and a scarf around his neck. "This is _the_ Lovina." She gestured to me.

"Really?" He appraised me. "I don't think she looks like a tomato." I blushed and his eyebrows raised in surprise, "oh, wait, now she does."

"I don't look like a tomato," I responded trying to sound confident, but failing miserably. My tomato red face got brighter.

Abel didn't really say anything to my denial and turned back towards his sister. "Let her in, maybe she can get him to stop his hissy fit."

"Hissy fit?" I couldn't wrap my head around what was happening. Laura grabbed my arm and pulled me into the entryway.

With our arms linked, she escorted me further into the house. "Yeah, Toni came in a little while ago and started throwing a tantrum." She explained. "Usually, we just let him calm down on his own, but I want to see his face when he sees you."

That didn't really reassure me. Suddenly, I didn't want to see him. She must have noticed my desire to flee because she gripped my arm tighter.

"Hey, Toni?" She called when we reached the last door in the hallway.

"Go away," a voice answered.

"I don't think you want me to do that." She giggled again. "I have a present for you."

"I don't want a fucking present," I hadn't really heard him cuss before and my desire to run away came back in full force.

"You'll want this one," she responded. Before he could reply, she wrenched open the door and shoved me into his room.

"I said go away," he growled. He had been facing away from the door, but the sound of it opening made him turn sharply. Almost too late, I noticed he was going to throw something.

"What the hell, Bastard?" I yelled dropping to the ground, narrowly avoiding the book that sailed across the room.

"Lovi?" He exclaimed obviously not expecting me as his present. His eyes widened comically and all of his irritation drained away.

"Told you, you'd want it," Laura giggled. "Have fun you two, but not too much fun." She winked and shut the door.

I slowly got back to my feet watching Antonio to see if he was going to throw something else.

"So you're throwing a tantrum, Idiota?" That probably wasn't my smartest idea, but seeing him behaving like a toddler was so strange.

I expected his anger to return but instead, he just looked discouraged. It didn't really fit his face.

"Where's your stupid smile, Bastardo?"

He sighed looking down, "What do you want, Lovina?"

"I want to know why you got so pissy with me."

"You wouldn't understand." He said shaking his head dejectedly.

"Try me!" I exclaimed getting frustrated.

"How would you feel if the person you liked kissed you just for show? Just to evade the policía?" He huffed out angrily. "Even though you were putting your heart on the line? Shoving your feelings into the kiss hoping she'd understand?" He got steadily quieter and mumbled, "Hoping _you_ would understand."

"What are you talking about?" I yelled irrationally stalking towards him.

"I'm saying I like you!" He yelled back.

We were now standing almost chest to chest. Each exaggerated breath caused us to touch momentarily.

"I don't understand," I said quietly taking a step back.

"I like you," he said taking a step forward. "How is that hard to understand?"

We shuffled a few more steps before I came up with a response. "You like Feli, not me."

His emerald eyes flashed, "Feli's nice and all, but I want you!" He emphasized the you by pulling me into him. He put a finger under my chin and tilted my head up. "I'm going to kiss you, Lovina. I'm not doing it to escape or prove something. I'm not doing it so that I can get your sister. I'm going to kiss you because I want to, because I like you, Lovi." He followed through with his threat, if you could call it that.

I responded immediately. I threw my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes pressing myself against him. I wanted to be as close as possible. The force behind my movement made Antonio lose his balance, and we tumbled onto his bed. Our lips broke apart at impact. As I adjusted my position to straddle him, I couldn't help but grin impishly at him.

"I like you, Tomato Bastard." The smile I was getting used to seeing on his face widened. He didn't seem even slightly phased by his new nickname.

"I like you too, Lovi."

I opened my mouth to protest the shortened version of my name, but he used the opportunity to reinstate our kiss.

When that one ended, he slowly stroked my face. His smile was smaller, but it still filled me with warmth. "Will you be mine? Will you be my Lovi?" He whispered against my lips.

I pulled away a little bit, and his lips changed into a confused frown.

"Can you cook?" I asked.

"What?" He propped himself up on his elbows.

"Can you cook?" I repeated.

"Yeah, I can, but what does that have to do with my question?"

"I'll be yours as long as you meet my conditions," I said as seriously as I could muster. "Minimum three free meals and a nap with pasta." My happiness was almost tangible in the words.

"Fusososo," he laughed, "You know that whole thing sound less like dating and more like a marriage proposal."

I blushed in agreement. "Oh, shut up, Idiota, and kiss me," I demanded.

Our kiss was interrupted by a strange creaking, groaning noise coming from the door. Antonio and I looked at the door just in time to watch it come crashing down.

"What the hell?!" I jumped off of Antonio and moved towards the door.

On the door was Laura, some brunette girl with a flower in her hair, and an Asian boy.

"Um, hi, Lovina. Have you met Elizabeta and Kiku?" Laura said from the floor.


End file.
